U.S. patent number 5,131,760 [Application Number 07/548,482] was granted by the patent office on 1992-07-21 for packaging device.
Invention is credited to Bert E. Farmer.
United States Patent |
5,131,760 |
Farmer |
* July 21, 1992 |
Packaging device
Abstract
A package is disclosed herein which may contain a fluid material
which is capable of being discharged from the package by the
application of manual pressure from a thumb and a forefinger to the
package so as to cause the package to burst in a controlled fashion
to discharge the fluid material contained within the package. The
package comprises a chamber which receives the fluid material
discharged from a containing chamber after the containing chamber
is burst by manual pressure, so as to control the rate and manner
of discharge of the fluid material from the package.
Inventors: |
Farmer; Bert E. (Farmington,
ME) |
[*] Notice: |
The portion of the term of this patent
subsequent to October 10, 2006 has been disclaimed. |
Family
ID: |
24189040 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/548,482 |
Filed: |
July 3, 1990 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
383/210; 206/484;
222/107; 383/38 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65D
75/30 (20130101); B65D 75/58 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B65D
75/28 (20060101); B65D 75/52 (20060101); B65D
75/58 (20060101); B65D 75/30 (20060101); B65D
047/36 () |
Field of
Search: |
;206/219,484,610,632,634
;222/107,541,544,545,547 ;383/210,211,38 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Fidei; David T.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Killough; B. Craig
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A package for containing and discharging fluid materials,
comprising:
(a) a first chamber formed by two sheets of material sealed
together about a perimeter of said first chamber, having a seal on
one portion of said perimeter which will burst under manual
pressure of 2.0 to 2.3 pounds per square inch applied to said first
chamber and having a fluid material contained within said first
chamber, which is discharged from said first chamber; and
(b) a second chamber formed by two sheets of material sealed
together about a perimeter of said second chamber, with said second
chamber being adjacent to said first chamber so as to receive said
fluid material as it is discharged through said seal of said first
chamber, and having a seal on one portion of said perimeter of said
second chamber which will burst at a pressure of 0.25 to 0.7 pounds
per square inch, so as to cause said fluid to be discharged from
the package.
2. A package for containing and discharging fluid materials as
described in claim 1, wherein the bursting pressure of a remaining
portion of the perimeter of said first chamber and a remaining
portion of the perimeter of said second chamber is greater than 3.5
pounds per square inch.
3. A package for containing and discharging fluid materials,
comprising:
(a) a first chamber having a seal on one portion of a sealed
perimeter of said first chamber which will burst under manual
pressure of 2.0 to 2.3 pounds per square inch applied to said first
chamber and having a fluid material contained within said first
chamber which is discharged from said first chamber; and
(b) a second chamber which is contiguous to said first chamber so
as to receive said fluid material as it is discharged through said
seal of said first chamber, and having a seal on one portion of a
sealed perimeter of said second chamber, which will burst at a
pressure of 0.25 to 0.7 pounds per square inch, so as to cause said
fluid material to be discharged from said package.
4. A package for containing and discharging fluid materials as
described in claim 3, wherein the bursting pressure of a remaining
portion of the perimeter of said first chamber and a remaining
portion of the perimeter of said second chamber is greater than 3.5
pounds per square inch.
Description
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to packaging generally, and is more
specifically related to a package which may contain a single
portion, dose or application of fluid material and which will
discharge the fluid material from the package in a controlled
fashion by the application of manual pressure to the package and
the fluid material contained therein.
Various packages or containers are available in the prior art which
contain a single portion, dose or application of liquid,
semi-solid, colloidal or other fluid material. More particularly,
the art to which this invention is directed is that which is
characterized by two sheets of material, generally plastic or metal
foil, which are sealed or seamed around the perimeter to form an
envelope which contains the fluid material. Specific examples are
single portion packages of condiments, such as ketchup and mustard,
which are found in the food industry, and single application
packages of lotions, such as hand lotion, or single doses of
medicines which are contained in similar packaging.
To open these packages, the seal must be torn or ripped, which can
be difficult to accomplish by manual means. Plastic packages, which
are more common than foil packages due to cost, are difficult to
grip, and the most difficult part of the package to tear is at the
seam. While these packages are generally easy to cut with scissors
or similar tools, such tools are not readily available in many
situations, such as at restaurants where single portion packages of
condiments are dispensed.
Accordingly, it has long been desired that single portion packages
of this type be capable of opening by the application of manual
pressure to the package and to the contents of the package. The
difficulty in producing such a package has been the achievement of
a seal or other means which will control the rate of discharge of
the material from the package in a satisfactory manner, while not
being subject to bursting in an undesired fashion. While the prior
art has produced a seal which will burst under manual pressure,
this seal may be too easily burst, resulting in the contents being
discharged at an undesired time, such as during the shipping and
handling of the package. Seals in the prior art which are more
difficult to burst under manual pressure tend to cause the contents
to be discharged with such force that the application of the
contents cannot be properly controlled. Certainly, in the
restaurant setting, having condiments discharged from the packaging
in an uncontrolled fashion is not conducive to the sanitation of a
restaurant. Likewise, where medicines are contained within such
packages, if a portion of the contents is misdirected, proper
dosage cannot be controlled.
The present invention provides a single portion, dose or
application package from which the contents can be discharged in a
controlled fashion by applying manual pressure, most commonly by
the thumb and forefinger, to the package and its contents. The
present invention comprises a chamber which is formed by two sheets
of material sealed around the perimeter, with a portion of the
perimeter seal produced so as to peel apart in a controlled fashion
as the fluid material contents are forced against the seal by
manual pressure, so as to release the contents in a relatively
slow, controlled fashion. While a single chamber sealed in this
fashion will produce a package, standing alone, which will
satisfactorily dispense the contents thereof by the manual
application of pressure, to further insure the controlled discharge
of the fluid material from the package, a second chamber may be
employed which is empty until the contents of the first chamber are
discharged, with the second chamber receiving the contents of the
first chamber upon discharge of the first chamber. This second
chamber further has a seal which will burst under a smaller amount
of manual pressure than the seal in the first chamber, so as to
discharge the fluid material contents from the package in a
controlled fashion.
SUMMARY OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the package material with manual
pressure being applied to the package and the fluid contents
contained therein.
FIG. 2 is top, plan view of the package invention. FIGS. 3A-3D are
top, fragmentary views showing the progression of the fluid
material through the package and the discharge of the material from
the package.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the package with manual pressure
being applied to the first chamber 2 and the liquid material 6
contained in the first chamber 2. The seal 8 is shown as it begins
to peel apart from pressure exerted on it as the fluid material 6
enters the seal 8 under manual pressure toward the second chamber 4
which is contiguous to the first chamber 2 and which is separated
by the seal 8.
FIG. 2 depicts a top, plan view of the package, with the first
chamber 2, seal 8, second chamber 4, and discharge seal 10. Also
shown is the package seal 12 around three sides of the perimeter of
the package, which is not capable of bursting under manual
pressure.
FIG. 3A depicts a fragment of the package in a static position,
viewed from the top, with the fluid material 6 located in the first
chamber 2, and contained by the package seal 12, and seal 8.
Contiguous to seal 8 in the first chamber is the second chamber 4,
which is bordered by package seal 12 and discharge seal 10.
FIG. 3B is substantially identical to FIG. 3A, but depicts the
package as it becomes dynamic cue to pressure being applied to the
first chamber 2 and fluid material contents 6, and shows seal 8
beginning to separate. FIG. 3B is derived substantially from
Section 3B--3B of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3C continues he progression of the fluid material 6 as it
exits the first chamber 2 through seal 8, and fills second chamber
4.
FIG. 3D depicts the fluid material 6 under pressure having the
discharge seal so as to exit the package.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is a package which contains a single portion,
dose, or application of a liquid, semi-solid, colloidal, or fluid
material, which, upon sufficient manual pressure being applied to
the package, will discharge the contents of the package in a
controlled manner for the desired application of the contents.
The package is characterized by two sheets of material, preferably
plastic which are sealed around the perimeter of the package as
will be more fully disclosed herein. A seal 8 is utilized which
will burst as pressure is exerted on the package and the contents
of the package. The makeup of this seal 8, as will be seen herein,
yields a package from which the contents can be discharged in a
controlled fashion by applying manual squeezing pressure to the
package and the contents.
In the preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the package is
constructed from two parallel sheets of material which are
substantially identical to each other, having the same size and
shape. The two sheets of material are attached to each other by
sealing, and in the case of plastic, by sealing the two sheets by
means of relatively high heat and pressure around a majority of the
perimeter of the package, to produce a permanent package seal 12.
This permanent seal 12 is not susceptible to breaking or bursting
under manual pressure, and is similar to the type of seal used in
sealing single portion packages presently in the art. By sealing
the two sheets of material around the perimeter, a void remains
within the package in which the fluid material contents are
contained.
The present invention, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, utilizes
a first chamber 2 and a second chamber 4. The first chamber 2
contains the fluid material 6 contents of the package. The second
chamber 4 is contiguous to the first chamber 2, but is separated by
seal 8.
When manual pressure is applied to the first chamber 2 portion of
the package and the fluid material 6 contained therein, seal 8
separating the first and second chamber burst. This seal is
designed so that it burst upon pressure being placed upon it by
squeezing of the package manually, such as by the thumb 14 and
forefinger 16 as shown in FIG. 1.
The pressure upon seal 8 causes seal 8 to burst as is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 3B, with the fluid material 6 entering seal 8 and
forcing it apart so as allow the discharge or exit of the fluid
material 6 from the first chamber 2. As seal 8 is sufficiently
separated, fluid material 6 enters the second chamber 4. As the
fluid material 6 enters the second chamber 4, the rate and force of
flow of the fluid material 6 is slowed due to the increased volume
provided by second chamber 4. As the second chamber 4 fills with
fluid material 6 and the pressure of the fluid material therein
increases, the discharge seal 10 breaks, allowing the material 6 to
exit from the package in a controlled fashion so that the
application of the contents of the package can be performed in a
satisfactory manner.
Seal 8 may produced by applying a heated die to the external
surfaces of the two sheets of material. Specifications of the seal
and the temperature of the die which are required for the seal to
burst at the proper pressure are determined by the contents of the
package, and the material from which the packet is constructed.
The material may be a plastic poly film. By way of example, if poly
vinyl stearate film which is 2.2 mil thick may be used. An example
of this material is sold under the trade designation James River C
Z 216. Seal 10 may be formed by a quarter inch wide die heated to
180.degree. F., with a pressure of 106 pounds per square inch
(p.s.i.) applied for 0.5 seconds. For this specified material, this
combination of temperature, pressure, and dwell time will give the
desired peel and bursting pressure, for seal 10, of 0.5 p.s.i. Seal
12 may be formed from this material by using a straight line die of
three lines heated to 240.degree. F., with a die pressure of 106
p.s.i. applied for 2 seconds. This combination of temperature and
pressure will produce a seal having a bursting strength in excess
of 3.5 p.s.i., which is required to prevent bursting of this seal
in an undesired manner, or under manual pressure.
Seal 8 may be produced by a two line die heated to 205.degree. F.
and applied to the material for 1.5 seconds at a die pressure of
106 p.s.i. This will result in a seal with a peel and bursting
pressure of approximately 2.2 p.s.i.
It has been found that a bursting pressure for seal 8 of 2.0 to 2.3
p.s.i. will produce a seal which will allow the discharge of the
fluid contents by application of manual pressure to first chamber 2
without the package being overly susceptible to accidental or
undesired discharge of the contents. Second chamber 4 further
insures against undesired discharge, and further controls the
discharge rate of the fluid contents of the package. As the fluid
material is discharged from first chamber 2, its velocity is slowed
as it enters and begins to fill chamber 2. This reduction of
velocity of the material is slowed both by the second chamber 4,
and the presence of seal 10. Seal 10 will burst rather easily as
the fluid material enters the second chamber since it has a
preferred bursting pressure of between 0.25 to 0.7 p.s.i., however,
by the time seal 10 bursts, the velocity of the fluid material has
been slowed and reduced to a rate which is easy to control as a
result of filling the second chamber.
Bursting pressure or seal strength, for each seal is a function of
die configuration, die temperature, die pressure, die dwell time
and the material used. A peel characteristic for each seal,
especially seal 8, may be desirable, and this "peel strength" is
also a function of these variables. For each material to be used,
and for each die used, the temperature, pressure and dwell time
must be determined which will yield the required seal
characteristics.
The present invention provides a package which may be used for
single portion, application or dose packaging of various fluid
materials ranging from food condiments such as ketchup to liquid
medicines. The package may be opened by squeezing the contents
within the package under manual pressure by the thumb and
forefinger, while controlling the rate of discharge of the material
from the package so that proper application and dispensation can be
achieved. The package is superior to the prior art in that it is
easier to open and requires no tools, and is designed so as to
direct the contents of the package in a controlled fashion to the
desired point of application.
* * * * *